Alex Padilla

City of Los Angeles

Date	Party	Office	Votes	Result
11-07-2006	Democratic	SD-20	84459	Win
11-02-2010	Democratic	SD-20	94356	Win
11-04-2014	Democratic	Secretary of State	3799711	Win
11-06-2018	Democratic	Secretary of State	7909521	Win
01-20-2021	Democratic	Senate3	0	Win
11-08-2022	Democratic	Senate3	6559303	Win
11-08-2022	Democratic	Senate3	6621616	Win

Candidate Biography:

Alejandro Padilla
Born: March 22, 1973 in Panorama City, CA
Married: Angela Monzon (m. 2012)
Children: Two sons (incl. Alejandro Miguel)

1995: Fellow, CORO Fellows Program
Previous: Staff, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein
1996: Campaign Manager, Tony Cardenas for State Assembly
Previous: District Director, Assemblyman Tony Cardenas
1997: Campaign Manager, Gil Cedillo for State Assembly
1997-1999: Member, Los Angeles Building and Safety Commission
1998: Campaign Manager, Richard Alarcon for State Senate
1998: Southern California Political Director, Victory '98 (Democratic Coordinated Campaign)
1999-2006: Member, Los Angeles City Council
2001-2020: Member, California Film Commission
2005-2006: President, League of California Cities
2009-2010: Chair, Gavin Newsom for Governor campaign
2012-2013: President, National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO)
2012: Delegate, Democratic National Convention
2016: Delegate, Democratic National Convention
2021: Resigned as Secretary of State on January 18.

• LEGISLATION: Author of SB 1298 (2012) which requires the California Highway Patrol to adopt safety standards and performance requirements for autonomous motor vehicles on California's public roads. The bill also permits autonomous vehicles to operate on public roads following the adoption of these standards and requirements. (Chapter 570, Stats of 2012)
• LEGAL TROUBLE: On June 12, 2025, Padilla was pushed out of the room, forced to the ground, and handcuffed while attempting to ask questions at a press conference by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem in Los Angeles. The Department of Homeland Security described the incident as "Senator Padilla chose disrespectful political theatre and interrupted a live press conference without identifying himself or having his Senate security pin on as he lunged toward Secretary Noem. Mr. Padilla was told repeatedly to back away and did not comply with officers’ repeated commands. @SecretService thought he was an attacker and officers acted appropriately. Secretary Noem met with Senator Padilla after and held a 15 minute meeting." [Source: Twitter. Homeland Security 6/12/2025 at 11:55 am.] Speaker Robert Rivas called the event "not just disrespectful — it’s dangerous" and said that he was "outraged and disgusted by the violent treatment of Senator Alex Padilla..." US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said that the "brazen and aggressive manhandling of Senator Padilla by the Trump administration is a sickening disgrace." Rep. Norma Torres called it "a disgraceful abuse of power," Rep. Jamie Raskin (MD) called it "an affront to democracy" while US Senator Elizabeth Warren described it as "This is a horrifying moment in our nation’s history."
• In 2019, Padilla was the target of an attempted recall led by Erin Cruz. The recall failed to qualify for the ballot.

Source: Biography on Senate website (accessed 1/1/2010, 3/4/2012)
Source: "California Lawmaker Wants Rules for Robo-Cars" by Chuck Squatriglia, Wired Magazine [website] (2/29/2012)